Miyano Senpai
by Kiel95
Summary: This is another pairing fanfic, and it is my usual pairing ShinShi sorry ShinRans and it's modeled after this picture Anyways, Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Things were looking up. The syndicate had been apprehended and Ai had gained the data she needed to create the antidote. Within a month after the eradication of the syndicate the antidote was complete, and Shinichi was able to return to being his usual teen self. Ai dressed as Conan one last time to be taken away to America by Edogawa Conan's mother.

Shinichi was happily back in his second year of high school and he and Ran were hitting it off nicely. Ai on the other hand was still attending elementary school with the rest of the Detective Boys.

Now, two weeks after Shinichi was back to normal, still keeping everything secret from Ran, he was starting to feel guilty and went to consult with Ai.

As he headed over to the professor's house and rung the doorbell, the Detective Boys answered with a bright, "Hello!"

He smiled and said, "Yo, is the professor here?"

The Detective Boys let him pass as they ran to get the professor.

They looked up to Shinichi since he was an amazing and well known high school detective. They wanted to follow in his footsteps and be like him.

As they left, he walked over to the couch and plopped down, straight across from the straight faced child.

"Yo, Haiabra."

She didn't reply but he saw her give a slight head nod as she looked through a magazine.

"Oi… Haibara," he said in slight exasperation.

She slowly looked up and raised an eyebrow, setting down her magazine and staring straight at him, waiting for him to speak.

He sighed deeply right before he said in a quick blurb, "I feel guilty about not telling Ran everything! I don't know why you don't want me to say anything to her, but without a proper reason it just feels wrong! I mean it's not like the syndicate can get her anymore! They're gone, done with, why are we still hiding it from her?"

She blinked slightly at the speed with which he spoke. He must've been thinking about it for quite a long while.

She slowly spoke in a calm tone, "There's no guarantee all of the members have been taken care of. From what we know they have been… but we may never know if they syndicate is completely gone. I prefer to be cautious about such things. It's your choice whether you tell Ran, but I expect that if you do, you make sure she keeps her mouth shut about it. I don't want it to be spreading and then even more people being at a risk of being disposed of. It's quite an unsavory thought."

He slowly let it sink in and then replied in a slightly calmer tone, though still uneven, "Thanks Haibara. I just needed to know why you thought I shouldn't tell. I don't want to keep it from her forever, but I don't necessarily want to put her at risk either."

A slight smile tugged at Ai's lips as she replied, "At least you aren't as completely stupid as you used to be."

His eye twitched, "Oi, Haibara, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing," she replied with an obvious smirk, her mind wandering back to the London case where he'd been idiotic enough to take the spare pill for his return home just to talk with Ran and even confess.

He glared at her for a moment and opened his mouth to speak, but he was immediately cut off as the Detective Boys came running back into the room with the professor in tow.

"Oh Shinichi!" the professor said happily. "What can I do for you?"

Shinichi grinned and said with a delighted tone, "I just wanted to stop by and say hey. We don't seem to talk as often and I thought it couldn't hurt to stop by." He was, of course, lying through his teeth. He had only needed to talk with Ai.

The professor smiled happily and they went to look at some of the inventions.

A while later Shinichi left and headed home. He was in a much better mood and reassured of the reason he shouldn't tell Ran. Something else bothered him, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. With Ran he was able to accept what Ai had told him since it did make quite a bit of sense and was very logical and well thought out. That was one thing he could count on with when it came to Ai, Logic; even if she did use an overly sarcastic tone and poke fun at him every chance she received.

He plodded into his house and grabbed a cup of noodles for dinner, eating slowly and then heading off to work on homework. He was in such a good mood he failed to notice the figure that had entered his room and was sitting on his bed.

Suddenly he jumped when it said, "Hmm, not very observant now are we Kudo-kun?"

He spun around and stammered, "H-Haibara? What the hell?"

"I wasn't sure if we finished our conversation from earlier since we were interrupted. I just wanted to see if there was anything else you wanted to ask. If not I'll be heading home." She hopped off the bed and headed for the door after a few moments of silence.

"Wait," Shinichi started.

Ai halted and turned around asking, "What?"

"Aren't you going to change back?"

She smiled mischievously as she said, "Maybe I will, maybe I won't; but if I do, I need to wait a while. I can't be disappearing so soon after Edogawa Conan left."

"I see. Wait. So is that a yes or no?" he asked in slight confusion. She smiled cryptically and left.

He just slowly shook his head. He thought he'd figured her out long ago. Boy was he wrong. He still had no clue what went running through her mind, and he wasn't necessarily sure he wanted to know.


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks passed and Ai suddenly disappeared. No one came for her. No one heard from her. She was just… gone. Nobody knew what'd happened.

Shinichi began to wonder if she'd gotten tired of them and left, or maybe, maybe THEY were still out there.

He was immediately on full alert and much more cautious than usual. The last conversation he'd had with her had him slightly on edge but prepared just in case some of them were still out there.

A few days after her disappearance he received a letter in the mail. It didn't have anything on it but his address and postage. No return address.

He questioningly opened the letter and read it carefully, eyes growing wide as he did so.

"Hey Kudo-kun. Sorry I had to disappear so suddenly on you guys. Something came up and I had to leave for a while. Don't worry because I'm fine. I'll get in touch soon. So calm down a bit. I know you're most likely worried and becoming overcautious. Yes, it's good to stay cautious, but don't become like me, paranoid as I was. That's plainly a bad idea as you'll become an introvert like me. Anyways, I'll contact you soon – Haibara Ai."

He let out a sigh of relief. She was safe. That took a huge amount of tension off his shoulders.

He placed the letter down on his nightstand and was able to rest easy and drift off to sleep without worry.

The next day he woke up with a smile and prepared for school. He met up with Ran as usual and the two smiled and talked on the way to school, their hands brushing up against each other but neither saying anything nor stopping it.

As they entered the school grounds they were treated like a couple, but something was amiss that morning.

People were whispering and gossiping about something new and weren't paying as much attention to the high school detective and his childhood friend.

Curious as to what it could be, he joined a group of friends and asked, "Hey guys, what's up?"

"You mean you didn't hear?" someone asked in shock.

"Of course he didn't hear," another guy interjected, "He has no reason to care since he has Mouri Ran!"

A light blush painted his cheeks until someone else said, "Anyway… Dude… there's this new third year who transferred in. She's a real beauty and she's smart to top it off! I hear it's only her second day and ten guys have confessed and been rejected already! She's already being called the ice queen since she does it so emotionlessly! I really want to see what she looks like, but I still haven't gotten the chance!"

The others agreed and Shinichi just shrugged it off. Didn't mean anything to him. He didn't care for rumors and gossip. He was more of a hard fact guy. What they were spreading had nothing to do with him.

He slipped out of the group and told Ran the gist of things, who was just happy he didn't' have an interest in seeing their supposedly beautiful sempai.

They headed off to class where they were greeted by Sonoko. Of course they were teased, but it ended sooner than normal since the topic was soon changed to the sempai they'd just heard about.

Sonoko suddenly stopped the flow of the conversation going on in the classroom by suddenly saying loudly, "I forgot!"

Her classmates looked at her quizzically.

Sonoko pointed an accusing finger at Shinichi and said, "The new sempai also mentioned Shinichi-kun!"

All eyes immediately turned to glare at him.

He was just as shocked as them and he hurriedly said in his defense, "Oi, Oi! I've never even met this sempai you're talking about! Much less do I even know what she looks like or why she mentioned me!"

Suddenly a cutting voice said from the doorway in a seemingly suggestive tone, "Is that so Kudo-kun? And I thought we were closer, much closer, than that."

They spun around in surprise and Shinichi's eyes widened. "H-H-," he cut himself off right before saying Haibara and correcting himself saying, "M-Miyano-san?"

She smirked and said with an overly sarcastic tone, "Kudo-kun, I believe it's Miyano-sempai to you."

He seemed flabbergasted and his mouth moved but no words came out.

Shiho slowly walked into the room and stood before Shinichi with a cool gaze. Then she leaned towards him and said with a childishly mischievous smile, "Oh, you seem to be quite at a loss for words. I must say you never would've believed I was here unless I came to see you myself would you?" She giggled and said, "You needing to call me 'Sempai' after all we've been through must be quite a shock no?"

Shinichi was finally able to shut his mouth and regain his composure, and once he'd done so he spoke as calmly as possible, "What are you even doing here, Miyano-SEMPAI?" he stressed 'Sempai' and had to grit his teeth through saying it.

"Oh, nothing short of trying to learn a few new things," she said with a teasing smirk.

"You've graduated college in America, what could you possibly wish to learn here?"

She shrugged and moved towards the window and stared up at the sky a bit before responding in a distant manner, "I figured I'd see if there was something I'd missed in school that I can learn here. Besides, I was never able to learn Japanese culture first hand in America. Also, I need to oversee my… Experiment, to make sure it's permanent. What better way than to go to school?"

Shinichi's eye twitched.

Without looking at him Shiho said with an annoyed sigh, as if playing with him had become a hassle, "Cool off Kudo-kun, it's not like we'll be in the same class. I just stopped by to say hello to let you know I'm doing fine." Then she slowly turned and headed for the door saying just as she left, "See you around Kudo-kun, and don't mind me. We don't have to talk now that we've finished this conversation. It's about time class starts and I really must get back."

She left before he could retaliate. Within moments he was crowded by his classmates, all asking him thousands of questions at once. He couldn't answer a single one since they were speaking altogether and much too fast.

When the bell rang and the teacher entered, the others calmed down and went back to their seats, still stealing glances and glares at Shinichi whenever they had the chance.

When lunch came around, Shinichi stretched a bit before getting up, but before he stood, Sonoko and Ran stood above him with twitching expressions. They wore smiles, but it was quite obvious how angry they were.

He pulled back slightly but had nowhere to go since he was seated against a window.

"Explain," Sonoko and Ran said in sync in a simple yet stern and angered tone.

It was obvious that everyone else was waiting for an answer as well and weren't leaving until they heard.

Shinichi muttered, "Shit," under his breath. He then inhaled deeply and calmed himself down before starting, "Remember when I was on that really long case where I had to leave school?"


	3. Chapter 3

The two girls nodded.

"I was working on a case and Miyano-sempai was helping me."

"What sort of relationship was it, hmm Shinichi?" Ran asked with a terrifyingly angry smile.

"She was just my partner," he said hurriedly as his heartbeat sped up.

He didn't want to be cornered with an angry Ran blocking his path to freedom. "We worked together and that's all! She likes to make fun of me and twist everything around just to mess with everyone's mind. There really is nothing between us!"

They seemed quite skeptical about it but slowly began to believe him. His eyes didn't betray him, he was telling the truth.

"Oh my, you already told them? And here I was hoping to mess with you a little more. It's much more interesting when you're flustered, your mind doesn't seem to work as fast." Shiho was standing at the door with a smirk before turning and walking off.

Shinichi suddenly stood up which made the girls jump slightly in surprise, and in that moment of hesitation he managed to escape, running after Shin=ho and saying, "Oi, Miyano-sempai! Get back here you jerk! Stop making misunderstandings!"

The others just watched with open mouths as they left.

Shinichi caught up with Shiho who didn't stop. She turned slightly while walking and had a slight smile on her face.

He didn't understand why, but he knew he shouldn't stop following her. She always seemed to exude an aura that told him what he should do next, he figured it was finally time he obeyed it.

They ended up on the rooftop after a little more walking.

When they arrived, Shinichi asked in exasperation, "Oi, Haibara, what are we doing up here?"

She whipped around in a sudden movement and glared, saying with an ice cold tone, "I'm Miyano Shiho now. Haibara Ai no longer exists. Don't use the incorrect name here. It could cause devastating trouble."

Shinichi lost his angry tone as he worked the fact that the person in front of him was Miyano-sempai and not the child he'd known before, and he should address her as such, into his brain.

"Now then," Shiho said in a slightly lighter tone, "I'm quite sure you wanted to talk with me but can't do so in front of other students. So, what is it you want?"

He gulped slightly, though he didn't know why, and asked, "Why are you here specifically?"

"I told you, to make sure that the antidote is permanent."

"But why school?"

Shiho sighed and said with a slight longing in her voice, "Maybe you don't know what it's like, but this is normal high school. Everyone's my age. It's not what I'm used to. I'm no longer the youngest in my grade where everyone looks at me like I'm a freak since I'm a genius at such a young age. I can live a normal high school life. You've always lived one so you don't know what I mean. I was often moving up the grade system at an extremely fast rate. I never had the chance to meet people before I was moved to the next grade. It was only slightly different in college. Even thought I attended college in the normal amount of time it takes, well, shaving a year or two off, I was constantly surrounded by the syndicate to watch over me as I grew smarter and more valuable to them. They couldn't have me harmed or have me escape. That's why I've never lived normally, so just this once, just once I want to see what it's like.

She slowly went silent and Shinichi was at a loss for words.

She then turned and leaned against the railing with a smile and continued, "Well whatever right? No point dwelling on the past if it's unimportant. I'm here now so it's fine. I'm starting to receive the experience I wanted, though the constant love letters can be annoying. Ah, and I had a question for you. Confessions, love letters, are these normal for high school students?"

Shinichi snapped out of his melancholy mood and replied with a slight smile, "Not to normal students, but for you and me, it happens quite often. I must admit, on a scale of 1 to 10, ten being the hottest; you'd rank an 11 which is why so many guys are after you."

Shiho walked over and brought her face close to his asking, "Oh? Might you be one of them?"

He stumbled back slightly and regained his composure quickly and rolled his eyes saying, "Baaaaaaka, of course not. I have Ran remember?"

Shiho pretended to be thinking as she said, "Oh yeah, how could I ever forget?" Her sarcasm was quite apparent.

He was about to retort when she smirked and brushed past him, "See you around Kudo-kun, and don't forget to eat your lunch."

He turned around to reply but she had already disappeared down the steps.

He sighed in exasperation and headed down the steps as well, going back to the classroom to eat.

When that day was over, Shinichi headed home in exhaustion. It'd been quite the crazy day, and he hadn't been expecting any of it. He was glad though, glad that everything seemed to calm back down.

Shiho didn't bother him again, the gossiping died down, and Ran was content that Shinichi was hers, even if they weren't dating yet. Even so, something just didn't feel right to Shinichi.

Two months had passed and he'd only caught glimpses of Shiho in the halls. She'd be surrounded by girls who were her new friends, and guys who were still pining after her.

Not once since the first day they'd seen each other had she come seeking him out. In fact, he was actually feeling a bit lonely, it was strange.

He also couldn't visit her outside school since she no longer stayed at the professor's, nor had she told him where she now resided.

So for the moment, he ignored those thoughts. Little did he know he was about to be dragged back into her world again, but this time, he was the one initiating it.


	4. Chapter 4

Shinichi, Ran, and Sonoko were heading out to eat. It was Sonoko's treat, and also a trap. She'd wanted to try the food but didn't want to go alone, but as always she had calculated to bring Shinichi for Ran's benefit.

To their surprise, upon arrival they bumped into someone unexpected, Shiho. They weren't entirely sure how to react. She wasn't there as a customer, or at least the uniform she wore didn't scream customer. Her clothes were waitress clothes, smooth, perfect, and not casual wear.

Their mouths were agape as they stared at her, waiting for her to break the silence first.

She just raised an eyebrow and asked, "How many?"

The first to snap out of it was Sonoko, who quickly replied, "Three."

"Right this way," Shiho smiled brilliantly.

To everyone but Shinichi the smile looked genuine, but he'd seen the smile before. It was fake. Just a mask.

She placed them in a booth and handed them the menus as she said with another smile, a bit less dazzling than before, "Your waiter should be here in a moment, please enjoy your meal."

"What are you doing here?" Shinichi asked hurriedly, catching her before she was out of earshot.

"I'm sorry, I've no time to converse. I'm currently working." She smiled politely and headed back to the front where she continued to seat customers and take calls.

When they'd finished eating, Shiho was gone. Her shift had ended.

As they walked out the door, Sonoko ran straight into someone's back.

"You wanted to talk to me?" the figure asked, slowly turning. Shiho's cool gaze fell upon the three of them with a raised eyebrow.

"Wh-What are you doing working here?" Shinichi asked hesitantly.

"Is it really so wrong for me to have a part time job Kudo-kun?" He opened his mouth to say something but shut it almost immediately afterwards. She took that as a sign to continue. "My friend Mika-chan couldn't make it to work today and needed a temporary replacement. her mother fell down the steps and is in the hospital. That's why I'm taking over for a while until she can come back. It'd be bad if it took to long and they had to let her go since she wasn't there when they needed her. In the meantime i get paid 3/4s and she receives the other 1/4. She would've preferred if I kept it all, but she needs money more than me."

Sonoko couldn't help but ask, "What? Are you rich? Your parents much be rich right?" She was completely blunt, too confident in her deduction.

Shiho smirked and replied coolly, "Well I am close to rich, and your story is close to the truth. My last position was quite well paying and my money was placed in a bank account and has been sitting around, accumulating interest. Also, when I inherited the money my parents and sister left me, it did surprise me a bit. I'd much more money than expected. I never knew how much they had."

"What do you mean the money they left?" Ran asked hesitantly.

"Ara? Kudo-kun, you didn't inform them when they asked about me?"

Shinichi shifted uncomfortably and replied, "I didn't know how to say it. And besides, what gives me the right to give out your information?"

The two girls looked at Shinichi and then Shiho and then back to Shinichi for answers.

Shiho answered with a dry smile, "They're dead. I'm the only person living in my family."

Their eyes widened.

Shiho sighed and said, "Anyways, I must get going. I'm making Kyuu wait."

"Who's Kyuu?" Shinichi asked suspiciously.

"Just a new man in my life," Shiho smirked, "but I don't believe that is any of your business, oh great detective. No need to pry into my life and know every little detail now." She then walked off with a slight wave of her hand.

The three just stared after her for the second time that night. She was quite the mystery.

As Shiho arrived at an apartment, she opened the door slowly and said, "I'm home."

As soon as the door shut and she'd removed her shoes, she could hear the soft drumming of footsteps right before something leaped at her and landed in her arms.

"Hello there Kyuu, and how was was your day?" she asked with a smile.

In her arms the black bundle of fur looked up at her with shining bright eyes and meowed.

Kyuu was a stray cat, one she'd found one day on her way home. She was lucky that cats were allowed in the apartment, as there was no way she would leave it out on the streets. The most surprising thought about Kyuu was that he acted so much like a dog. It was strange, but she loved him. She loved the looks and feel of cats and how solitary they were, but she also loved how attached he was to her. He didn't need all the pampering of a dog, but the loyalty to her was the same. Kyuu was definitely her best friend.

She whispered gently to him, "You know Kyuu, sometimes I wonder if it would've been better for me to have fallen in love with you than with that idiot."

Kyuu looked deep into her eyes as if understanding her every word and purred gently, licking her cheek in a surprise attack.

"I really do love you," she whispered, but she wasn't talking to Kyuu, and a small tear rolled down her cheek.


	5. Chapter 5

Shiho was the last in the classroom since she had cleaning duty. There were others who were supposed to help her out, but she promised to take care of it on her own since they had to hurry off to their jobs. She knew Fridays could get busy at some places so she let them go first as she was the only one without an actual job. Mika had told her in school that she was able to go back to work, so Shiho was off the hook.

After everyone in her class had gotten to know her, they realized how kind she was. Sure she seemed like a cold fish at first, but she was willing to help out and wasn't as selfish as they'd believed.

As she was cleaning, the door slid open, closed, and clicked as it locked. Nobody could get in.

Shiho slowly turned to face the number one jerk in the class, "What is it you want Yamada-san?" she asked the teenage boy before her.

Yamada was a very strong and handsome individual who was known to conquer every girl he had his sights set on, whether with their consent or not. They problem was that he never got in trouble since his father was a high up businessman with a strong connection to some of the worst yakuza in all Japan.

He licked his lips lustfully as he replied, "I believe you know what I want." He'd obviously inherited some of the tendencies of those he hung around, thinking that no one could refuse him.

"Oh? You mean you want me?" she asked bluntly. He was slightly taken aback since he wasn't accustomed to girls being so forward. She continued to mock him by saying, "Aww, isn't that cute? You actually think you have a chance with me."

His eyes smoldered under her berating.

She added fuel to the flame by saying, "See here Yamada-san, I don't like it when men think I'm easy. I don't like it when men stare at me lustfully. In fact, I'm not exactly a huge fan of most men to begin with."

While he wanted to jump her in anger, his instincts kept him from doing so when he saw her cold eyes. Something was off about them, and they weren't as innocent and friendly as he'd seen when she was in class with friends.

He was terrified since he'd seen those sort of eyes before. They were the eyes of a killer. He'd met a few assassins his father had hired. Her eyes were the same.

Stumbling back slightly at the sight, he managed to catch himself, and when he glanced back at her eyes, the coldness had disappeared and he wondered if he'd just imagined it. After reassuring himself that it wasn't there, he let his anger loose again and lunged at her, figuring her earlier demeanor had been a figment of his imagination.

When he found himself with his face to the ground and in pain, he didn't know why.

Shiho was sweeping innocently.

He blinked and asked stupidly, "Wuh... What happened?"

She looked down at him and said with an emotionless voice, but her words dripping with venom, "Shall I show you again?"

Cowering away, he ran for the exit. He fumbled for at the lock for a moment before he burst out, surprising someone who was about to enter.

Yamada sprinted past the unknown bystander and was gone in an instant.

As soon as the problem had disappeared, the bystander walked in. It was Shinichi. He closed the door but had no reason to lock it.

"What's up Kudo-kun?" she asked without looking up.

"Do I even want to know what was up with that guy?"

"Probably not."

"I see."

"So what are you here for?"

"Erm..." he started slowly. He was hesitant to say, "It's been bugging me for a while now, but who's Kyuu?"

She turned with a questioning look and a slight smirk played on her lips when she saw his embarrassed expression.

She placed the broom down and walked over to him. Gently she placed her index under his chin and her thumb right below his bottom lip. He'd never realized that she was slightly taller than him until then, and he stumbled backwards as she leaned over and looked down asking with a knowing smirk, "Ara ara, why is your face red?"

His mouth was hanging open and unable to form words as his face grew another shade darker.

She shortened the gap a bit more and their noses practically brushed against each other.

"M-Miyano-sempai..." he stammered. This was so embarrassing for him, but he couldn't pull back, his body wouldn't let him.

She smiled and cocked her head to the side and said simply, "Oh? Don't tell me you're jealous Kudo-kun, jealous that I love Kyuu?"


	6. Chapter 6

Shiho was completely serious about her love, she did love Kyuu. He was her best friend and such nice company. She was completely attached.

Kudo-kun's spirit seemed to deflate and leave his body as soon as she said, "I love Kyuu."

Outside the room door, Ran and Sonoko were staring with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

They'd followed Shinichi wondering why he needed to go to the senior classrooms. While listening first they believed Shiho was coming onto Shinich and was going to kiss him, but they were utterly shocked when they heard her say she loved Kyuu. Now they wanted to know who Kyuu was, almost as much as Shinichi. They figured it had to be some sort of nickname, but they had no clue it was a cat.

Shiho smiled and pulled away.

"Well, if that's all you came for, I need to get back to cleaning," she stated.

He stood there dumbfounded and continued to stare as she went back to work. It only took her a few more minutes to finish, but Shinichi was still frozen in place.

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed his arm saying, "Come on, let's go. If it's going to affect your functioning this much I'll let you meet him."

He stumbled after her as she dragged him along.

Ran and Sonoko tried to keep up, but they lost them after a few turns. They didn't realized Shiho had caught onto them and shaken them off before she turned towards the apartment complex she currently resided in.

As they walked up the steps, she pulled out a key and unlocked the door, stepping in and saying, "I'm home."

Shinichi stumbled in mumbling, "Excuse me for intruding..."

A small furry and black thing pounced on his face. He stumbled back against the door before Shiho could pull the little fuzzball off his face.

Shiho smiled as she gently rubbed the kitten in her arms which was purring heavily.

Shinichi blinked in surprise.

"Kudo-kun, meet Kyuu. Isn't he adorable?"

He gaped at the kitten which stared at him and hissed.

"Kyuu," Shiho said sternly.

Kyuu stopped hissing and looked at Shiho with big eyes.

"Kyuu, this is my guest. Don't hurt him ok?"

Shinichi asked as he put his back against the door, "What the hell is with that thing? And that's Kyuu?"

She grinned and said, "I found Kyuu in an alley. He was quite disheveled and suspicious. It took me a few days of bringing him milk and some fish before he trusted me. As soon as that relationship was established, he became attached to me like a dog." She chuckled as she thought back. "He's actually very useful and protects me quite well. There have been a few situations where he's saved me. Someone tired breaking into my house, he woke me up and attacked the intruder. I dealt with the thief accordingly. Also, I fell asleep while the bath was running and there would've been a fire but Kyuu woke me in time to stop it. He's such a smart little kitty." She smiled and rubbed her nose gently against Kyuu's who purred happily.

Shinichi was at a loss for words. It took him a while before he managed, "Kyuu isn't a guy?"

"Well technically he is a 'guy' since he's male. But if you meant human, than no, he's not. Did you think I'd fall in love so stupidly?" she asked with a dry laugh.

He was somewhat taken aback and said in his own defense, "Who knows? Maye you met someone you just wouldn't tell me about. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time you withheld information! It's almost like when we first met, I-I just can't trust you!"

Shiho's face immediately darkened and he regretted his words. She said in a dark tone, "I didn't ever ask you to trust me. You chose to do so on your own. It was your choice of what to do with me. You're the one who decided to let the professor keep me at his place. I may have had no where to go, but you could've easily kicked me out. Don't blame me for living my own life now that I'm free. I don't have to tell you every little detail of my life anymore. I can be me, and I can go to a life where the syndicate never existed. If anything, it seems you're the one more unwilling to let go to the past than I am. I've pushed it all behind me, while you on the other-hand seem to cling onto it like a life preserver. Don't assume you can reenter my life just to drag me back into yours. I left yours after unknowingly dragging you into it. If you hadn't snooped you would never have had to leave your comfortable life. Now you're free yet you come crawling back. What does that say about you?"

He was baffled and speechless. He didn't know what to say. She was right. He was still clinging onto the past, believed they were still partners and friends like before. In reality, that part of his life was over and he needed to move on. But was he ready?


	7. Chapter 7

Shiho turned and walked deeper into her house, going into the kitchen and beginning to cook. Without even an ounce of her dark tone left, she called out, "Are you eating over or not?"

He licked his dry lips slowly as his stomach growled, he was starved. "Uh, I'll eat over."

"Ok then. You can wait in the main room. Remember to take off your shoes and put on some slippers."

Shinichi did as he was told and sat down on the only seat in the room, a loveseat. It was really comfortable.

He closed his eyes to think as he gently rubbed his his eyes, and before he knew it, he'd fallen asleep.

Shiho finished making dinner an hour later and brought it out.

When she saw him asleep, a small smile tugged at her lips. She whispered gently, "Sorry about earlier. I was just a bit angry, but I'm glad you still want to be friends."

She covered his portion and placed it on the table in front of him with a note. Then she sat down in the kitchen and ate.

After eating, she cleaned up her dishes and headed to the bathroom, locking the door and proceeding to turn on the shower.

When she'd turned it on, Shinichi woke up and looked around, forgetting where he was. Seeing the note and bowl, he sat up slowly and blinked.

With sluggish movements he picked up the note and read it. "Kudo-kun, just heat up the food in the microwave if it's gotten cold. When you wake up I'll either be in the shower or asleep. You can stay the night if you wish. The closet in the hallway has extra blankets and pillows. Help yourself to the couch you were sleeping on."

He could hear the shower running meaning that she was still awake.

He took the bowl of food in his hands and could feel the heat still radiating from it so he figured there was no point in reheating it.

It didn't take long to devour the food since his stomach was dying for it. With his dinner finished, he headed to the kitchen and washed the dishes, placing them on the drying rack. Then he headed into the hall to try to figure out which door was the closet.

He was about to try the first one when it creaked opened and he was standing face to face with Shiho.

Her hair was plastered to her face and her clothes were small and formfitting. She was only wearing short shorts and tank-top.

"Ah Kudo-kun, I see you've awakened."

He turned red and stammered, "I wasn't trying to peak, I was just wondering which door was the closet and decided to try them all until I figured it out!"

Shiho could tell he wasn't lying and pointed to a door a bit farther down. "That's the closet. I take it you're staying the night?"

"Yeah. I glanced at the time, and since I don't really know where I am I figured I'll leave tomorrow when it's bright out."

"That's fine." She turned and walked to the door at the very end of the hallway. "Goodnight then."

"Er... yeah, Goodnight."

She entered her room with Kyuu plodding in behind her, leaving Shinichi alone in the silent hallway as she shut the door.

He silently went to the closet and pulled out a blanket and a pillow. Then he went back into the main room and placed them on the couch.

He hesitantly went down to the end of the hall and knocked on Shiho's door.

"What is it?" he heard from the inside.

"Can I take a shower?"

"Sure. There are extra towels under the sink."

"Thanks," he called back through the door.

Walking to the bathroom, he shut the door and locked it behind him.

He found the towels where she'd said they'd be and pulled out a hair towel and a body towel.

When he'd finished his shower, he dried himself and then pulled on his boxers, heading for the couch. He didn't want to sleep on his uniform since it'd be wrinkly. Instead he folded them neatly and placed them next to the couch before he climbed onto it and wrapped himself in the blanket, falling asleep quickly.


	8. Chapter 8: Final

When Shinichi woke up the next morning he could smell something delicious. He slowly sat up and looked towards the kitchen.

Sure enough the lights were on and he could hear Shiho cooking inside.

"Morning Miyano-Sempai," he said slowly.

He couldn't see Shiho but heard her reply, "Morning Kudo-kun, sleep well?"

He cricked his neck and replied, "Just a bit sore, but otherwise I slept fine."

"That's good. You woke up just in time too. Come and get some breakfast."

Standing up, he made his way to the table. He sat down across from her and she served them food.

When she sat down she asked, "Really Kudo-kun? Boxers at the breakfast table?"

"I didn't want to sleep in my school clothes."

"I see, and the reason you didn't pull on your clothes before entering the kitchen is...?"

He was silent for a moment and said, "Be right back."

A few moments later he reappeared in his clothes and sat back down to eat. They were silent for a bit, but finally started to talk a bit.

After finishing up they washed the dishes.

"Is there a reason why your cat keeps staring at me murderously?" Shinichi asked as he glanced at Kyuu.

Shiho chuckled and replied, "He's very possessive and since you slept here he's quite angry about that."

"I see," he said simply, but he really didn't. The cat didn't really surprise him anymore, but he didn't really think the cat could be that possessive.

A second later he felt a sudden weight on his neck and then it was gone. When he looked down, his tie was gone. His head swiveled around until he laid eyes on his missing tie. It was in Kyuu's mouth.

He immediately began to chase after Kyuu who managed to barely avoid him.

Shiho ignored the commotion for a while and dried the dishes herself, putting them away. After a while though, she began to get annoyed with the two rampaging around her place and she said sternly, "KYUU."

Kyuu jumped and hurried over to Shiho with the tie.

She took it from him and gave him a disapproving look. Then she turned to Shinichi who was puffing outside the kitchen. Walking over she placed the tie in his hand and said, "Instead of romping around my house with my cat, how about you put on your tie and I show you how to get home from here?"

"Hai..." he said in embarrassment. He quickly pulled on his tie while she slipped on her shoes and retrieved her house keys.

As they were leaving, Shiho turned and called back, "Bye Kyuu, watch the house."

Kyuu meowed and she closed the door and locked it.

The two walked in silence for a good five minutes before Shinichi finally spoke up, "Miyano-sempai..." he started.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Kudo-kun, you don't have to call me sempai, I was joking around."

He was a bit surprised since he thought she'd been serious this whole time, and he'd been struggling to remember to call her that.

"O-Oh, well... I was just wondering what you're doing for the rest of the day."

She shrugged and said coolly, "I'll probably go home and do some research."

"Research?" he asked with a cocked head.

"I'm a scientist. I always have something I'm wondering about and wish to research."

"Ah... Well... how about you put that off and go to the movies with me?" he asked with a childish grin on his face.

"I'm guessing it's a detective movie since you aren't asking Ran... Am I right?" she asked with a knowing smirk.

He jolted. Then he muttered, "W-Well yeah... but I was going to go alone. I just thought I could pay you back for dinner and letting me stay over."

She thought about it for a moment and shrugged replying, "Sure I guess."

He grinned brightly.

After getting to his house, he changed into some casual clothes and then the two left and headed for the theater.

Shinichi paid for the tickets in and Shiho chose the seats at the far back. No one was going to sit behind her. She was, as always, slightly paranoid.

It was a bit different than what Shiho was expecting. There was a bit more romance than mystery. She thought he hated romance.

During the movie Shinichi turned to Shiho and mumbled, "Erm... Miyano..."

She turned to him and raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"I... actually wasn't planning on ever watching this. I've seen the books you read before. You like romances and don't really mind mysteries. I thought this would be a good way to pay you back."

She smirked, "You sure you didn't do it just to ask me out on a date?"

Even in the dark she could see how embarrassed he was.

Then she heard him mumble, "I did do it to ask you on a date."

She cocked an eyebrow and a small smile played on her lips.

Then she leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for bringing me here. Next time though, just ask. You don't need to give excuses in a round about way to ask me on a date."

he was gaping at her for the thousandth time as she turned back to the screen with a satisfied grin.

Before his mouth could close, she slowly interlaced her fingers with his and real genuine smile rested on her face.

Shinichi couldn't' help but smile as well. Things were looking up.


End file.
